Popular health influencer and medical doctor, Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, has dismissed widespread misconceptions surrounding egg freezing, warning that the procedure does not guarantee pregnancy “at any time in life” as many social media posts suggest.
In a video shared on his social media platforms on Tuesday, Egemba addressed increasing misinformation about the fertility preservation method, particularly claims that women who freeze their eggs can have children at any age without limitations.
He explained that egg freezing, medically referred to as oocyte cryopreservation, involves removing a woman’s eggs, preserving them at extremely low temperatures, and storing them for future use.
“So egg freezing is the process of taking a woman’s eggs out of her body first… and then you take it to a very cold temperature, so cold that every biological activity stops until she is ready to use it,” he said.
Egemba compared the process to food preservation, explaining that eggs are frozen while still healthy and viable for future use when needed.
He said the process starts with hormone injections administered over 10 to 14 days to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the usual single monthly egg release.
“First of all, the doctor will give you hormone injections… to stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs,” he explained.
Once the eggs mature, doctors retrieve them using a needle guided by ultrasound while the patient is under sedation.
The eggs are then preserved through a rapid freezing process known as vitrification and stored at approximately minus 196 degrees Celsius.
According to him, women choose to freeze their eggs for several reasons, including career planning, delayed childbearing, or medical treatments such as cancer therapy that could affect fertility.
However, he stressed that the procedure does not guarantee pregnancy.
“Please, I need you to hear this part very well. Freezing your eggs is not the same as having a baby in the bank,” he warned.
He explained that not all frozen eggs survive thawing, fertilisation, or development into a successful pregnancy, despite advances in fertility medicine.
“Not all eggs survive it… not all will fertilise… not all will result in a successful pregnancy,” he said.
Supporting the explanation, a 2024 report by CCRM Fertility stated that pregnancy success rates after implantation of frozen eggs range between 30 and 60 per cent, depending on several factors.
Egemba also clarified that egg freezing neither prevents pregnancy nor protects against sexually transmitted infections.
“Egg freezing has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with contraception or STIs,” he said.
He further rejected claims that frozen eggs are inferior to fresh eggs, noting that medical advancements have significantly improved success rates in recent years.
The doctor advised Nigerians considering the procedure to consult certified fertility specialists instead of relying on social media information or hearsay.
“If you are thinking about this for any reason… please go and talk to a certified fertility specialist,” he advised.
He added that fertility experts usually assess a woman’s ovarian reserve before determining whether egg freezing is suitable.